


Pleasant Surprises

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Thea's Song [27]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 23:11:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19365649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673
Summary: Curious about *how* exactly Bryce found out about Thea and Loghain? Check out 'Responsibilities,' also available on AO3. ;)





	Pleasant Surprises

Just at the moment, Cataline Howe’s mind was in a pleasant haze. Warmed by the early evening rays of the long, lazy summer sun, cooled by the beer bottle in her hand, and lulled by the lethargic sway of the wide swing on their back porch. The lingering smoky scents of barbeque and the sticky sweetness of watermelon danced lightly on her nose, and the bright notes of laughter from the grass kept her from dozing off.

“Of all the surprises in my life,” her father spoke up beside her, “I think those two together is the one that made me happiest.”

Cat followed Bryce’s line of vision to where Loghain had caught Thea up in his arms after she had bounded up from the beach, laughter and love in their eyes, the expression comfortably familiar now. “They are good for each other,” she agreed, sitting up a little straighter and stretching before she corrected herself. “No… they are perfect for each other.”

“She _still_ should have told us sooner,” he grumbled, but Cat could tell he was not even remotely angry; that the statement was more a matter of principal than anything else. “Nearly sent me into an early grave the way we found out.”

Cat rolled her eyes, but she could not help but laugh. “I know, dad, but she had her reasons. They both did.” She took another sip from her drink before looking towards her father. “What about me?”

“What about you, Pup?”

“Were you surprised? By me and Nate?”

Bryce laughed. “Not even a little bit. I was surprised it took the two of you as long as it did, but no. Not surprised in the slightest.”

Cat stared at him for a moment, trying to decide how to react to her father’s response. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Bryce nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “The two of you were the quintessential star-crossed lovers almost from day one. I saw the way he looked at you, and in that boy I saw a reflection of myself the day I realized I was in love with your mother.”

“But after everything that happened… everything his father did…?”

“Was not his fault,” Bryce reassured her gently. “Do you disagree?”

Cat shook her head vigorously. “Of course not, dad, but I wasn’t the one that was almost assassinated. You and mom…” She paused, staring out at some undefined point where the sea met the horizon. “I think I was even more afraid of telling you about us than Thea was telling you about her and Loghain.”

“In your defense, at least you informed us _before_ you ran off and got married,” he noted drily, and Cat laughed.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence, watching the waves crash on the shore in the distance as the sun slipped lower in the sky and the first glimmers of twilight began to twinkle in the sky. Thea was now sprawled on a blanket on the grass, staring up her beloved stars as they emerged, and Nate and Loghain were quietly discussing something as they sipped their own beers. Eleanor was in the kitchen preparing the cherry pie she’d made earlier for serving, and for the moment everything was peaceful, and quiet, and Cat found herself in a contemplative mood.

“You never liked any of my other boyfriends, did you?” She poked her father’s arm in mock accusation. “You were always carefully polite, but you adored Nate. He was the only one _you_ invited to stay with us for the summer, or to go on vacation with us, or spend holidays in Highever.”

Her father gave her a shrug of feigned innocence. “He was Thea’s best friend. Maker knows she needed the company, and we all know now what an abysmal home life he must have had.”

She gave him a flat stare, and he chuckled quietly. “Oh, alright: you win. Cat, I would have learned to like any one I thought you truly cared for, barring some horrible character flaw, but I always knew there was only man you ever truly would.” He looked at the others, his expression thoughtful.

“In some ways, Thea was easier in that respect. She was never serious with anyone, and she grew bored so easily. Your mother and I were not certain she would ever find anyone that suited her. And yet,” he waved his hand in the direction of Thea and her husband, a small smile on his face, “Here we are.”

“Here we are,” Cat replied, a smile tilting at her lips as well. “You and Thea really were shameless at times, you know that, right?”

“We were never!” Bryce protested, but Cat just giggled and shook her head.

“You were, and if you will not own up to it, _she_ will,” Cat retorted. “She takes it as a point of pride, I think, the brat. I think she would have run the rest of the boys off even if she wasn’t Nate’s best friend, though I suspect that made her a bit more fierce about it.”

“We simply have exceptionally high standards for our beloved Catkin,” her father replied. “No matter how old the two of you get, you will always be my little girls. I only wanted the best for both of you, and it makes my heart glad to see you have both found it. Granted, little Shadow nearly gave me a heart attack with the way we found out, but still.”

Cat breathed a happy sigh, leaning back against the swing and letting her gaze drift towards the sea and sky as the others began packing things up and heading up towards the house. She caught her husband’s eyes as he ascended the steps, and his lips curved up before he bent down to brush a soft kiss against hers before stepping into the kitchen. She was impossibly lucky, and impossibly happy, and impossibly loved.

“‘The best’ does not seem to quite do it justice.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Curious about *how* exactly Bryce found out about Thea and Loghain? Check out 'Responsibilities,' also available on AO3. ;)


End file.
